1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image communication system, an image communication apparatus and an image communication method. More particularly, the invention relates to techniques for image information communication with image display apparatuses using radio communication techniques or the like.
2. Related Background Art
Techniques have been developed recently for transmitting image information to remote image display apparatuses by using a spectrum diffusion communication method. With such conventional techniques, image information of a predetermined image quality is transmitted at a predetermined transmission rate. If the image quality of image information has priority over other qualities, a transmission rate is generally set high in order to transmit a large amount of data.
In such a case, some inconveniences occur if the reception side has a plurality of image display apparatuses having different display performances and one of the apparatuses is to be selected.
For example, in transmitting image information to an image display apparatus having a display unit of a small size and a low resolution, image information is transmitted at an image quality and a transmission rate suitable for the resolution of the display unit. Therefore, if the image quality and transmission rate of image information to be transmitted are preset as in a conventional case, a large amount of image information is transmitted wastefully.
Furthermore, if a large amount of data is transmitted at high rate by using a spectrum diffusion communication method, a transmission distance becomes long. Therefore, in the above case, a large amount of image information is transmitted at an image quality greater than that required by an image display apparatus, and the transmission distance is made wasteful.
An object of the present invention is to solve the above-described problem.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an image communication apparatus capable of realizing a process of properly setting the image quality and transmission rate of image information to be transmitted, so as to match the display performance of a display apparatus.
According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention solving the above objects, an image communication apparatus is disclosed which comprises: (a) compressing means for compression-coding image information; (b) communication means for modulating and transmitting image information output from the compressing means; (c) input means for inputting information on a display performance of a display unit; and (d) controlling means for controlling at least one of the compression-coding by the compressing means and the modulation by the communication means in accordance with information on the display performance input from the input means.
According to another embodiment of the present invention, an image communication apparatus is disclosed which comprises: (a) information amount regulating means for regulating the information amount of image information; (b) communication means for modulating and transmitting the image information output from the information amount regulating means; (c) input means for inputting information on a display performance of a display unit; and (d) controlling means for controlling at least one of the information amount regulated by the information amount regulating means and the modulation by the communication means in accordance with information on the display performance input from the input means.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an image display apparatus capable of realizing a process of displaying image information by making the image quality and transmission rate of the image information match the display performance of the image display apparatus.
According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention solving the above object, an image display apparatus is disclosed which comprises: (a) display means for displaying image information; (b) output means for outputting information on a display performance of the display means; and (c) input means for inputting image information generated in accordance with the information on the display performance.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an image communication system capable of realizing a process of properly setting the image quality and transmission rate of image information, so as to match the display performance of a display apparatus.
According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention solving the above object, an image communication system is disclosed which comprises a reception apparatus comprising: (a) display means for displaying image information; and (b) first communication means for transmitting information on a display performance of the display means; and a transmission apparatus comprising: (a) compressing means for compression-coding image information; (b) second communication means for modulating and transmitting image information output from the compressing means; (c) controlling means for controlling at least one of the compression-coding by the compressing means and the modulation by the second communication means in accordance with information on the display performance, wherein the display means of the reception apparatus displays image information transmitted from the transmission apparatus.
According to another embodiment of the present invention, an image communication system is disclosed which comprises a reception apparatus comprising: (a) display means for displaying image information; and (b) first communication means for transmitting information on a display performance of the display means; and a transmission apparatus comprising: (a) information amount regulating means for regulating the information amount of image information; (b) second communication means for modulating and transmitting image information output from the image amount regulating means; (c) controlling means for controlling at least one of the information amount to be regulated by the information amount regulating means and the modulation by the second communication means in accordance with information on the display performance, wherein the display means of the reception apparatus displays image information transmitted from the transmission apparatus.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an image communication method capable of realizing a process of setting the image quality and transmission rate of image information, so as to match the display performance of a display apparatus.
According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention solving the above object, an image communication apparatus is disclosed which comprises: (a) a compression step of compressing image information through compression-coding; (b) a communication step of modulating and transmitting image information obtained at the compression step; (c) an input step of inputting information on a display performance of a display unit; and (d) a control step of controlling at least one of the compression-coding by the compression step and the modulation by the communication step in accordance with information on the display performance obtained at the input step.
According to another embodiment of the present invention, an image communication method is disclosed which comprises: (a) an information amount regulating step of regulating the information amount of image information; (b) a communication step of modulating and transmitting image information obtained at the regulating step; (c) an input step of inputting information on a display performance of a display unit; and (d) a control step of controlling at least one of the information amount to be regulated at the regulating step and the modulation by the communication step in accordance with information on the display performance input at the input step.
An object of the present invention is to provide an image output apparatus capable of realizing a process of setting the image quality and transmission rate of image information, so as to match the display performance of a display apparatus.
According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention solving the above object, an image output apparatus is disclosed which comprises: (a) information amount regulating means for regulating the information amount of image information; (b) output means for modulating and outputting the image information output from the information amount regulating means to a display unit; and (c) controlling means for controlling at least one of the information amount to be regulated by the information amount regulating means and the modulation by the output means in accordance with information on a display performance of the display unit.
According to another embodiment of the present invention, an image output apparatus is disclosed which comprises: (a) an information amount regulating step of regulating the information amount of image information; (b) an output step of modulating and outputting the image information obtained at the information amount regulating step to an output unit; and (c) a control step of controlling at least one of the information amount to be regulated at the regulating step and the modulation by the output step in accordance with information on the display performance of the display unit.
Still other objects of the present invention, and the advantages thereof, will become fully apparent from the following detailed description of the embodiments.